10-4 Magazine - For Today's Trucker

DECEMBER 2004 TRUCKER TALK

WOMEN DRIVERS
By Writers and Owner Operators Rod & Kim Grimm

More women are becoming drivers every day, but it wasn’t always that way. When I first started driving, I remember being told on several occasions that I should, “be home barefoot and pregnant,” because I was “taking a man’s job.” To those drivers I would reply, “I probably back up better than you drive forward.” My how years can change attitudes. Now you hear, “I’d rather have a woman drive my truck than most of the guys out here.” And to Half Pint (Ingrid Bell) who beat Diaper Rash (Garry Thomas) in a driving challenge at the truck show in Dallas, Texas, a few months ago, way to go girl!

I wonder what the facilities would be like today had more women not started getting on the road. Truck interiors might not be the same as they are today either. Years ago we laid in a cabover bunk to get dressed and had to have guards placed at the door of the men’s showers so we could get cleaned up. I’ve had my license to drive a truck long enough to tell some drivers they were toddlers when I started – and to those 24 and under, they weren’t even a twinkle in someone’s eye yet. Now a little about some women who’ve seen a lot of miles and lots of changes in the trucking industry.

Heather Hogeland of Fontana, California, started driving in 1977 and ran local in California for her dad, who was leased to Overroad Container Service at the time. When she turned 21, she stared running to Phoenix and Las Vegas. She gave being a safety director a brief try in 1980, before going back to driving. In 1983, she got her license to teach trucking, and was told at the license bureau that she was the first woman they’d ever issued a teaching license to. It was 1984, at Superior Training Services in Rialto, California, that Heather met Roger Hogeland, and later that year they were married.

Heather can remember the days when women had to prove they were drivers. She also has memories of driving through towns along I-10 and I-40 before the interstates were completed. When I asked her what she thought was the best thing to happen for women on the road, she replied, “Getting our own private shower.” The first place she recalls that happening was at the Shell in Tucumcari, New Mexico. Heather and Roger bought their first truck in 1995. A few years later, they traded that truck in for a 1999 W900L, which is the truck they still drive. This KW still looks good today – even with over 1,200,000 miles on her. In 1999 they also got their own authority.

Cathy Sherman of Sylmar, California, bought her first truck in 1982 and leased it on to Marten Transport in Mondovi, Wisconsin. She added her own trailer in 1983. In 1996, she became the first woman to be named Independent Contractor of the Year by the Truckload Carriers Association. For that honor, she won a 1996 International Eagle. She had ICT do some modifications to the bunk (added a sink) and then had eagle murals put on the trailer to pull it all together. Cathy is still leased to Marten Transport today. These days, few people stay at the same company for over 20 years.

Eileen Klink of Hartford, Wisconsin, was able to get her license to drive a milk truck in 1983, at the age of 16, because her dad owned the trucking company she was working for. She also had to have her Weighers and Samplers license to be able to pick up milk. It was 1984 when Eileen met Rick Klink while picking up milk at her dad’s farm. The rest, you might say, is history. Rich and Eileen were married in 1986. They drove milk trucks until 1994, when they bought their first truck – a 1994 Kenworth T600 – and then formed REK Express. Rich ran this truck for a year before Eileen joined him on the road in 1995. They’ve been running as a team ever since. Today, they own a 1999 Kenworth W900L that has over 1,100,000 miles on her, but you’d never know by just looking at it.

Lynda Foss of Menasha, Wisconsin, was working at a nursing home when a mutual friend introduced her to Wendell Foss. Wendell was dispatching at the time. In 1995, Lynda and Wendell were married and Lynda made a career change. They became company drivers for the first year of their marriage while Wendell trained Lynda how to drive. Wendell had driven for years before his dispatching job. We tease Lynda about liking the sound of chain’s going over Donner Pass. “There’s just something about the clinking sound,” she says. Presently, they own and run a 2003 Peterbilt 379.

There are a lot of women we know who are no longer on the road but can still “remember the days when...” Suzanne Wichtendahl of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was the first woman driver that really befriended me. She would always get out of her truck with her make-up on and looking GREAT. She’s amazing. Debbie Brown, also from Oklahoma City, drove the same cabover we first drove when we got on the road. She only drove it for one week, then she and her husband Russ changed employers. I’m sure you’ve seen some of the work she’s done on their three show trucks over the years. Pure Attitude, Razor’s Edge and her latest work on the interior of American Thunder. Her ability to do an interior of a truck is outstanding.

Lisa Pons of Yukon, Oklahoma, got her license to drive truck in 1981. She met Gary Pons on the CB just outside of Houston, Texas, in 1982. They were friends till they started dating in 1984. In 1990, while Lisa’s bridal shower was going on, Gary had an accident in his truck involving a deer. Afterward, they were married and then, together, they began fixing the 1981 Pete 359 and transforming it into a show truck. With new longer frame rails, they extended the hood and added a big bunk. The project was completed in February of 1991. They ran this truck as a team with their beloved Rottweiller Buster, until 1998 when they sold the truck and got off the road.

Charlene Testerman of Frederick, Maryland, worked on a farm before getting her license in 1982. Leonard and Charlene had been neighbors before she got her license and he taught her how to drive. They were married in 1985. Working together, they’ve rebuilt their 1983 Pete 359 (Rolling Thunder) from the frame rails up twice. With over 3,500,000 miles on this truck, they can still win Best of Show at just about any event they attend. And with the way they maintain their rig, they may never have to buy a new one – and that’s just fine with them.

It’s nice to be able to talk to other women drivers out there; they understand the lifestyle we have in a way that our friends back home can’t. We have a support group now, thanks to cell phones, which have made it much easier to keep in touch. Eileen, Lynda and I are leased to the same company and the friendship is strong. Getting to run together a lot is a benefit that we miss when one of us has to deliver early or stays home for a week.

The number of women drivers is growing, and I think it’s just going to get bigger. A lot has changed over the years and, thankfully, gotten better for women on the road. But there are some of us old-timers who can still remember the not-so-good days for women on the road, and it wasn’t all that long ago. Thanks should go out to all the pioneer ladies that paved the way for today’s female drivers, giving them the opportunity to enjoy all that the open road has to offer.

On a final note, last month I mentioned that there was a new addition to our family. NO, NOT A BABY! Lizzie (our cocker spaniel) shocked everyone and allowed a little Buddy into “her” house. For months we drove by a house that had a black cocker spaniel tied to a pine tree in the front yard. Upon finding out who lived there, I asked the dog’s name. He told me, “Chubbs” and then said, “You can have him if you want him. The kids wanted him, then didn’t pay any attention to him.” I couldn’t wait to get home and get him to the groomer. He was badly matted. His name was changed to “Starbuck” (yes, it’s after the coffee shop). But upon looking at a book of names, I found that the name Starbuck meant change of fate. That was it – the name was perfect. He jumped in the truck the first night and has adapted well to all of the attention. After being shaved down to nearly skin in some places, his coat is shiny now and, with Lizzie’s approval, he’s brought a lot to our truck and our lives.